Bookslut was born in an era of internet freedom. Today's web has killed it

The books community that my site joined was driven by enthusiasm not clicks, goodwill and not money – and that culture has goneI miss the internet. I know that, technically, the internet still exists. It’s the Facebook-, Twitter-filtered series of algorithms designed to put cat videos, think pieces, and advertisements in front of you. But I get nostalgic for the days before money invaded the internet – the early 2000s, in particular, when I created the literary blog and webzine Bookslut.com.Back then, nothing you did mattered. And that gave you freedom. Back then, the online book culture was run mostly by enthusiasts and amateurs, people who were creating blogs and webzines simply for the pleasure of it, rather than to build a career or a brand. I know that nostalgia is a stupid emotion, but still I regret the day money found the internet. Once advertisers showed up, offering to pay us to do the thing we were doing just for fun, it was very hard to say no. Or understand exactly what the trade-offs would be.The most disappointing revelation about the books world: even an intellectual is susceptible to clickbaitYou click on it, you own it. Related: Jessa Crispin: 'We're not allowed to say the Paris Review is boring' Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #books world #jessa crispin #paris review

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News From Around The Web: July 22

Learn about apostasy in Muslim communities and where the Bible appears in Harper Lee's 'Watchmen' in news stories on the web today. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #news stories #web today #harper lee

Does Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman kill a mockingbird?

No one who reads To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time now can read it as we did before this week. No teacher, no student can ever ignore the complicated history of the book and its characters. Go Set a Watchman, published on Tuesday, changes everything. But is that as terrible as it sounds?... Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2015-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #harper lee

Growth, Diversity, Uncertainty Mark New Era at Comic-Con 2015

The show is bigger, crowded with fans, events and new venues as well as more diverse offerings of comics targeting kids, women and people of color than ever before. So why are so many comics professionals worried about Comic-con? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tribune expands its Web-syndication business to video

Tribune Content Agency, a content “clearinghouse” for Tribune Publishing, has launched a new video-syndication network, which will offer its publishing partners more than 1,000 new videos per day from media companies like Reuters, AP, Bloomberg, the Chicago Tribune and the LA Times. The network,... Continue reading at Digiday

[ Digiday | 2015-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #tribune publishing #publishing partners #media companies #chicago tribune #content providers

As 'Watchman' Hits Stands, Authors Reflect on 'To Kill a Mockingbird'

With Harper Lee's new novel 'Go Set a Watchman' on sale today, Publishers Weekly asked a collection of authors for their thoughts on her beloved debut, and Pulitzer Prize winner, 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #authors reflect #harper lee

PW Asks: Is This A Good Era for New Fiction

Is this a good time to be a new fiction fanatic? Is great fiction of all kinds being written by new authors? PW wants to know what you think. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pw asks #great fiction #good time

Comic-Con: Gal Gadot says her Wonder Woman is 'the Wonder Woman of today'

"The Women Who Kick Ass" panel at San Diego Comic-Con was stocked aplenty with great women who are also great at butt kickin'. They came to discuss women in media, they came to talk about the future roles for females in the genre medium, and they came to tell stories about Gwendoline Christie... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Atticus Finch is a racist in To Kill a Mockingbird’s sequel

Portrayal of liberal lawyer’s dark side praised for its realism by civil rights campaignerOne of the great figures of American literature has suffered dramatic reputational damage this weekend. The unexpected early release of shocking plot details from the new novel by Harper Lee, a sequel to... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #great figures #american literature #beguiling journey #shami chakrabarti

The Roundup: Religion Book News from Across the Web, July 8, 2015

Progressive Christian books struggle; new research on faith fiction; a religion author skips it for the summer. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Why today's teenagers still want to take a peek inside My Mad Fat Diary

Lots has changed since Rae Earl wrote her personal diary in the 1980s, which she later converted into the bestselling book My Mad Fat Diary, but the basic pains of transition from teenager to grownup remain the same – and books help us find the way through itWhen my nan used to tell me about... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-07-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #saturday afternoon

Archiving the careers of today’s politicians | Letter from Jonathan Glasspool of Blomsbury Academic

Re your thoughtful editorial (20 June) on the future of important British political archives: the Churchill Archives have been carefully digitised over the past four years and have been published by Bloomsbury Academic on behalf of the archives. To mark the 50th anniversary of Winston... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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No, Bill O'Reilly, 'Killing Patton' Was Not the Bestselling Book of 2014

A response to inaccurate statements made by O'Reilly about 'Publishers Weekly' and his book sales history. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Roundup: Religion Book News from Around the Web, June 24, 2015

A hijab-wearing female comics superheroine debuts; evangelical author Elisabeth Elliot memorialized. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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EIBF unites to defend freedom of expression

European booksellers have united to defend the freedom of expression in "the strongest terms." The European & International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) reaffirmed its "absolute belief in and support for freedom of speech, of publishing and of bookselling" at its annual conference held in... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-06-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sick of P&L Statements, Literary Editor Quits, Gets Web Kudos

Sarah Knight was sick of commuting, P&L statements and eating salad at her desk at Simon & Schuster, so she quit to freelance and seek happiness. The post Sick of P&L Statements, Literary Editor Quits, Gets Web Kudos appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post sick #sarah knight #simon schuster

Elegy for a Lost French Bookshop…and Freedom

At the New Yorker, Adam Gopnik laments the closing of a bookshop in Paris, ultimately tying it to a loss of a kind of personal freedom. The post Elegy for a Lost French Bookshop…and Freedom appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #freedom appeared

The Roundup: Religion Book News from Across the Web, June 10, 2015

Female authors replace male pastors on Christian publishers' lists; a grant to an LGBT group--at Wheaton College? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #christian publishers

USA Today Publisher Larry Kramer Steps Down As Gannett Spinoff Looms

Larry Kramer, publisher and president of USA Today since 2012, is leaving the newspaper and joining the board of directors of the new Gannett, the company announced today.Mr. Kramer's departure comes as Gannett, owner of 82 daily newspapers including USA Today as well as 46 local TV stations,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2015-06-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #larry kramer #usa today #tv properties

To Kill a Mockingbird sequel Harper Collins most pre-ordered book

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee to be released in July, 55 years after publication of Pulitzer Prize winning bookHarper Lee’s eagerly anticipated To Kill a Mockingbird sequel, Go Set a Watchman, has become the most pre-ordered book in publisher Harper Collins’ history.Robert Thomson, chief... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pre-ordered book #harper lee #eagerly anticipated #mockingbird sequel #robert thomson #important book